Dig discovery 'changes history'

The furnace was discovered in Ironbridge

A team of archaeologists working in the Ironbridge Gorge have found the remains of a 17th Century steel furnace.

The furnace, at Coalbrokdale, is believed to be the oldest of its type in England and possibly the world.

Experts say it was built in 1620 - nearly 100 years before the arrival of Abraham Darby, one of the pioneers of the Industrial Revolution.

Paul Belford from the Ironbridge Gorge Museums Trust in Shropshire says it is a remarkable discovery.

'Industrial revolution'

"The idea that an industrial revolution suddenly began in the mid 18th Century is no longer tenable," he said.

"The development of industrial capitalism happened over a much longer period."

The furnace was discovered in the fourth year of a five-year dig project at the Coalbrokdale site which involves students from the UK, Canada and the United States as well as schoolchildren and volunteers.

Mr Belford added: "This project has placed the events of the industrial revolution in a new light.

"There is no doubt that high-tech industry was already established in the 17th Century.

"The well-known 18th Century names in school textbooks were merely standing on the shoulders of giants."